Houston Clergy Council opposes Perry’s prayer rally

Gov. Rick Perry’s upcoming prayer event has concerned progressive Christian leaders in Houston, who have written a letter criticizing the governor for excluding non-Christians, partnering with an anti-gay group and blurring boundaries between church and state.

“We ask that Rick Perry leave the ministry to us and refocus his energy on the work of governing our state,” the Houston Clergy Council wrote in a letter signed by 24 local leaders, many of them Unitarian Universalists or members of other denominations that welcome GLBT Christians.

“We wanted to let people know that there are people of faith who have different stances than Gov. Perry. Often the only faith that gets covered is the religious right,” said Rev. Becky Edmiston-Lange, of Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church. “We are clergy persons who support the rights of all people, no matter who they love or how they worship.”

They argue that the nature of Perry’s event, scheduled for Aug. 6 at Reliant Stadium, does not fit with Houston’s religious diversity.

Their criticisms echo a chorus of concerned groups, including the Houston GLBT Political Caucus, the Houston chapter of the Council of American-Islamic relations and the Interfaith Alliance. About 300 Texans plan to protest the event, and the Houston Clergy Council may schedule a pro-tolerance speaker as counter-programming to Perry’s Christian-centric message.

Houston’s biggest evangelical megachurches– Lakewood Church, Second Baptist and Houston’s First Baptist– have applauded Perry’s efforts to draw national attention to the need for prayer. Only one other governor has committed to join Perry at the event.

The Houston Clergy Council’s letter, released this week, reads:

As Houston clergy, we write to express our deep concern over Governor Rick Perry’s proclamation of a day of prayer and fasting at Houston’s Reliant Stadium on August 6th. In our role as faith leaders, we encourage and support prayer, meditation, and spiritual practice. Yet our governor’s religious event gives us pause for a number of reasons:

We believe in a healthy boundary between church and state. Out of respect for the state, we believe that it should represent all citizens equally and without preference for religious or philosophical tradition. Out of respect for religious communities, we believe that they should foster faithful ways of living without favoring one political party over another. Keeping the church and state separate allows each to thrive and upholds our proud national tradition of empowering citizens to worship freely and vote conscientiously. We are concerned that our governor has crossed the line by organizing and leading a religious event rather than focusing on the people’s business in Austin.

We also express concern that the day of prayer and fasting at Reliant Stadium is not an inclusive event. As clergy leaders in the nation’s fourth largest city, we take pride in Houston’s vibrant and diverse religious landscape. Our religious communities include Bahais, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Unitarian Universalists, and many other faith traditions. Our city is also home to committed agnostics and atheists, with whom we share common cause as fellow Houstonians. Houston has long been known as a “live and let live” city, where all are respected and welcomed. It troubles us that the governor’s prayer event is not open to everyone. In the publicized materials, the governor has made it clear that only Christians of a particular kind are welcome to pray in a certain way. We feel that such an exclusive event does not reflect the rich tapestry of our city.

Our deepest concern, however, lies in the fact that funding for this event appears to come from the American Family Association, an organization labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The American Family Association and its leadership have a long track record of anti-gay speech and have actively worked to discriminate against the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community. The American Family Association and its leadership have also been stridently anti-Muslim, going so far as to question the rights of Muslim Americans to freely organize and practice their faith. We believe it is inappropriate for our governor to organize a religious event funded by a group known for its discriminatory stances.

As religious leaders, we commit to join with all Houstonians in working to make our city a better place. We will lead our communities in prayer, meditation, and spiritual practice. We ask that Rick Perry leave the ministry to us and refocus his energy on the work of governing our state.